Anthropogenic modifications to fire regimes in the wider Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Fire is a key driver in savannah systems and widely used as a land management tool. Intensifying human land uses are leading to rapid changes in the fire regimes, with consequences for ecosystem functioning and composition. We undertake a novel analysis describing spatial patterns in the fire regime of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, document multidecadal temporal changes and investigate the factors underlying these patterns. We used MODIS active fire and burned area products from 2001 to 2014 to identify individual fires; summarizing four characteristics for each detected fire: size, ignition date, time since last fire and radiative power. Using satellite imagery, we estimated the rate of change in the density of livestock bomas as a proxy for livestock density. We used these metrics to mod

SUBMITTER: Probert JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6852266 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature